WEEK 2 – DAY 1
I AM SMART
“Exercise makes your brain work better, kids who exercise do better in school.” -submitted by Coach Karalynn, Amity elementary, 7 seasons
Proper Running Attire
What do you think we should wear when we are going to go for a run? We should wear clothes that are comfortable and light. A good example would be to wear sweats, basketball shorts, and a comfortable shirt. We want to make sure that we have full movement of all of our muscles. If we have on tight skinny jeans that restrict our movement or baggy pants that keep falling down, it’s going to be hard to run. We also want to dress for the weather. If it’s cold we could also bring a jacket, ear warmers, and some gloves. This will help you stay warm, but still feel comfortable running. We suggest that the night before SoleKids, check the weather and pack your bag with your running gear.
Proper Running Shoes
What should we look for in a running shoe? Kids’ feet are still growing and changing rapidly so you want to find a shoe with a lightweight, flexible sole. You also want to make sure that the inside provides the right amount of support for your arches and enough room for your toes. It is important to get measured regularly as your feet can change from one season to the next.
WEEK 2 – DAY 2
I AM STRONG
“Strong – The importance of stretching and strength training before and after a run. Running is great and fun, but strength training keeps your muscles ready for the run. Strength training helps you become a life-long runner, a life-long version of health.”
– Coach Celeste, Hillsdale Elementary, 6 seasons
Proper Running Form
Today we are going to focus on proper running form. In order to be an efficient and injury-free runner, there are some guidelines you should follow:
Maintain a short, quick stride.
Do not try to lengthen your stride; avoid reaching forward with your foot, which can lead to overstriding.
Keep your knee in line.
Make sure your foot strikes under your knee, not in front of it, which can lead to injury. It doesn’t matter whether the heel or forefoot hits the ground first, as long as your foot is not in front of your knee.
Push up and off.
Focus on pushing up and off the ground behind you.
Watch your elbows.
Keep your elbows bent at 90 degrees or less.
Relax your hands.
Keep hands loose and below your chest. Make sure your hands don’t cross your midline and your hands don’t punch forward, both of which can throw off your gait.
Work your core. When starting a running program, it is also a great time to start working on your core strength, particularly your glutes and abdominal muscles. A strong core makes it easier to stay upright—even when you’re tired—and avoid leaning too far forward from your hip, which can lead to injury.
Take your time today and really focus on how your body feels.
WARM UP
25 Jumping Jacks
20 High Knees
20 Butt Kicks
10 High Jumps (swing arms back, keep chest up, exploding up)
STRETCHING (FROM HEAD TO TOE)
HEAD
Gently look left to right with head 3 times
Gently nod yes and no with head 3 times
UPPER BODY
Arm circles:
5 small forward
5 small backwards
5 big forward
5 big backwards
Single right arm circles – 5 big forward then 5 big backwards
Single left arm circles – 5 big forward then 5 big backwards
5 arm swings – cross them in the front and swing them back to the sides staying parallel to the ground.
MID-SECTION
Oblique stretch:
With the legs in an upside down V, rest left hand on the hip. Reach over to the left side extending the right arm up and over. Stretching the obliques. Hold for 5 seconds. Switch sides by reaching to the right side and extending the left arm up and over, with the right hand resting on the hip. Hold for 5 seconds.
Trunk twists:
Stretch the trunk by twisting side to side. Keeping the legs in an upside down V with the back straight. Toes will also stay facing forward. Twist 5 times each side.
Hip Stretch:
Press hip out to the side and hold for 3 second. Do not bounce this stretch. Repeat each side 3 times.
Hip circles:
Press the hips forward, to the side, back and to the side. Doing this motion slowly to stretch each part of the hips. 3 to the right, 3 to the left.
LOWER BODY
Leg stretches:
With legs in an upside down V and arms out to the side like an airplane, reach the right hand to the left foot. Then stand back up. Repeat with the left hand to the right foot. Repeat 5 times each side.
Knee rotation:
Place hands on knees with legs slightly bent. Move knees in a circular motion. 5 times to the right and 5 times to the left.
Quad stretch:
Bring right foot behind body and grab with the right hand. Balance on the left stretching the quadriceps muscles. If having a hard time balancing, partner up or balance near a wall. For a deep stretch, slightly bend the left leg. Repeat on the other side. Hold for 5 slow seconds.
Hamstring stretch:
With both feet planted on the ground, reach down to your toes keep the legs straight. Hold for 5 seconds.
Leg swings:
Balancing on the left leg, swing the right leg forward and back keep the leg straight. 5 each leg – use a partner or a wall to balance.
Facing a wall, gently place hand on the wall for balance and stand on left leg. Swing right leg side to side in front of the body. Keep the toe pointed to the wall while swinging the leg.
Ankle rolls both sides:
5 circling in
5 circling out
(For ankle rolls you can start off by sitting on the ground and gently placing the right foot over the left knee. Then with the hand, help assist in rolling out the ankle.)
WARM-UP WALKS/RUNS
Mark off a distance of about 30 feet. Do each exercise one time. After, go into your 5 minutes warm-up walk and workout.
Slow moving high knees:
Walking forward, lift knees high with the arms swinging in the opposite direction. It will look similar to a march.
Fast moving high knees:
Running forward, lift knees high with the arms swinging in the opposite direction.
Slow moving butt kicks:
Beginners placing hands behind them so they can feel their feet hit their hands. Advanced runners can swing their arms in the opposite direction of their legs.
Fast moving butt kicks:
Beginners placing their hands behind them so they can feel their feet hit their hands. Advanced runners can swing their arms in the opposite direction of their legs.
Hip flexor rolls to the front:
Place hands on hips, with the knee leading, lift the left leg to the side and then swing it to the front. (It looks similar to stepping over a log.) Make sure the knee is leading and not the toe or it will just look like a giant step. You can also refer to this as closing the gate.
Reverse hip flexor rolls:
Place hands on hips, bring the knee up in front then to the side and down. You can refer to this as opening a gate. You can do this by either walking forwards or by walking backwards.
STRENGTH
Have 2 students pick a strength exercise! Here’s some to choose from:
Pushups – 5
POWER Crunches – 15
Burpees – 5 (nobody likes Burpees)
Sumo Squats – 15
Lunges – 5 each leg
Squats – 10
Planks – 30 seconds
Bodyweight Calf Raises – 20
WORKOUT
DAY 1
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: 2 minutes
Walk: 1 minute
Repeat for total of 20 min
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace
WORKOUT
DAY 2
Walk: 5 min at brisk pace
Run: 2.5 minutes
Walk: 1.5 minutes
Repeat for a total of 20 min
Walk: 5 min at a slowing pace
COOL DOWN
And don’t forget to take a selfie!!!
Oblique Stretches:
Spread feet to make an upside down V. Place right hand on hip and with left arm reach to the right side stretching out left obliques.
With feet still in an upside V reach to the sky.
With feet still in an upside V place left hand on hip and reach to the left with the right hand stretching right side.
Hamstring Stretches:
With feet still apart reach down and touch the left foot and hold for 5 seconds stretching the hamstrings, walk hands to the middle and hold for 5, walk hands to the right foot and hold for 5 seconds, go back to the middle and roll body up to a standing position. (Emphasize straight legs! Even if they can’t touch their toes.)
Gluteus maximus/Hamstring Stretches:
With feet together, reach for the sky.
Slowly walk your hand down to touch your toes (hint: that’s okay if they can’t touch their toes, but emphasize keeping legs straight!) Stretching gluteus maximus and hamstrings. Hold for 5 seconds.
In standing position, bring left knee up to chest and hug, balancing on right foot. Hold for 5 seconds. Stretching the gluteus maximus and hamstrings. Repeat with other leg.
Quadriceps Stretches:
Working on balance: reach right hand behind to grab left foot stretching the quadriceps muscles. Hold for 5 seconds (Hint: Have them pick a spot on the floor and focus on it while balancing. If needed start them with holding onto a wall or partner. To get a deeper stretch, slightly bend knee.)
Switch sides with the left hand reaching behind and grabbing the right foot.
Ankle Rolls:
In standing position, keep the ball of the foot on the ground and gently roll ankle around to the outside for 5 circles. Then roll it to the inside for 5 circles.
Repeat on other side.
Shoulder/Arm Stretches:
In standing position, place right arm across the chest keeping it straight. With the left arm hug the right arm and bring to the chest stretching the right shoulder and arm muscles. (Make sure shoulders stay down and relaxed).
Repeat on the other side.
Arm Stretches:
In standing position, extend right arm straight up in the air next to the ear. Bend the elbow with the hand reaching behind the head and neck. With the left arm reach across the head and gently press down on the right elbow stretching the arm.
Repeat other side.
Neck Stretches:
Stretch neck by looking to the left slightly over the shoulder for 5 seconds
Repeat looking to the right slightly over the shoulder for 5 seconds. Then gently drop chin to chest for 5 seconds.
GAMES
SMUGGLERS
Divide into two teams – the Smugglers and the Coast Guard. Give a small jewel or trinket one member of the Smugglers. The Smugglers go to one end of the play area while the Coast Guard go to the other. The smugglers can move the jewel from kid to kid as often as they like. The jewel must only be held in a hand, not concealed any other way. The Coast Guard chase the Smugglers trying to tag them. When a smuggler is tagged, he must immediately stop and show both open hands. He must then sit and wait for the round to end. When the smuggler with the jewel is tagged, a new round is started with teams switching sides.
SPLIT THE RELAY
Start with dividing up into groups of even numbers. Pace out 30 or 40 yards. Each group will send half of it group to the 30-yard mark. Example: 3 people will be at the start and 3 people will be at the 30 yard mark. Have each group pick out an object to run with. Tennis ball, stuffed animal (these are really popular), or baton. Each person in the relay will run to the teammate, pass off the object and then they will run back and give it to the next teammate. Each person has to run 4 times so they all end up where they started. If they drop the object, they have to go back from where they started and start that run over (just that child not the whole team). Whatever team has each player go 4 times the fastest wins.
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